'Tame this pop raunch'

TV chiefs have been warned to tone down raunchy dancing by pop stars on children's programmes.

Performances by Christina Aguilera and Holly Valance on the Saturday morning music show CD:UK brought a flood of complaints from parents.

They felt their suggestive movements and skimpy outfits were inappropriate for a young audience.

In a report today the Independent Television Commission, which monitors complaints, ' sympathises' with the concerns.

'The ITC appreciates that parents and others are naturally concerned about the messages they believe certain images appear to send to children,' it says.

'Undoubtedly some performers and music videos are more suggestive than in the past, reflecting considerable changes in society with regard to sexual behaviour as well as pop music's inherent "boundary pushing" nature.'

'The LWT show was reminded of 'the need to be vigilant at times when large numbers of children are watching'. Despite the warnings, however, the ITC did not consider the show was a breach of the Programme Code and rejected the complaints.

'It is unusual to get complaints about children's shows and we just want to point out that programme makers do have a responsibility and need to be careful,' said spokesman Helena Hird.

'What we are saying is that broadcasters must be aware of pop singers' performances and dancing during shows aimed primarily at children.

'Programmes like CD:UK are often watched by children unaccompanied by adults on Saturday morning. It is up to broadcasters to make sure that what they broadcast is suitable for that time of day and that audience.

'This programme is not a chart show, which is bound to feature pop singers with songs in the top ten. This is a show aimed at children, and dance routines that are overly sexual or too suggestive are not suitable. A chart show in the evening is completely different to a children's programme.'

The report comes just a month after the same show was censured by the ITC after singer Pink appeared in a T-shirt bearing offensive language. Two years ago, its former presenters Ant and Dec were forced to apologise after Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash described a sex act on the live show.

LWT claimed it faced difficulties trying to attract the most popular performers while at the same time trying to ensure programmes are suitable for broadcast.

It pointed out that it regularly insists on changes to lyrics and to dance routines. The decision not to uphold the complaints infuriated television watchdog Mediawatch UK.

'It seems that the ITC want it every way they can,' said director John Beyer. 'On the one hand they are being sympathetic to the parents and on the other they are doing nothing about it.

'To claim they can't get the acts is a lame excuse. The pop industry is highly competitive and all of these artists want to maximise their audience share. The programme could easily lay down conditions for them appearing on a show watched by young people and children.'

The latest incident follows a Daily Mail investigation in which a leading TV critic spent a week watching children's TV and emerged shocked by its sexobsessed banality.